Anne Frank – The Ultimate Spirit of Courage and Hope

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In many ways, Anne Frank was a typical teenager – she went to movies and for ice cream with friends, she got good grades except in math, and she liked boys. And in one other very significant way, she was a typical teenage girl……..she kept a diary. However, the diary Anne kept was anything but typical. You see, [...]

Jacob Barnett – A Real-Life Boy Genius!

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At first glance, Jacob Barnett looks like an ordinary 13-year-old kid. He wears sweatshirts and backward baseball caps, goes to school, and hangs out with his family. But the reality is that Jacob is anything but ordinary! You see, Jacob is a genius………. As a toddler, Jacob was diagnosed with autism. But as he got older, he began to show signs of incredible intelligence. And now, as a 13-year-old college [...]

Pride, Determination, Resilience (PDR) – The Amazing Swim Team of Jim Ellis

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Pride, determination, and resilience – combine these three qualities, and you’ve got a solid foundation for excellence. To Jim Ellis, these qualities were important ones to teach kids, especially underserved kids who might not have many examples of them. Jim chose to teach kids these qualities by sharing with them something he loved – swimming. In 1972, Jim [...]

Martin Luther King, Jr. – A Man with a Dream

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Every year in mid-January, America celebrates a holiday in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. By many counts, Martin was just an ordinary man – a husband, a father, and a pastor at his church. But his incredible dedication to his cause and his profound influence made him also an inspirational world-changer worthy of the highest honor. Throughout [...]

A Tribute to Dear Old Dad……

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As we approach the holiday season, we celebrate and remember the importance of family. One of the most significant, special members of a family is a father. Dads serve faithfully in their roles as caregivers, mentors, playmates, providers, advice-givers,  guiding forces………the list goes on and on. In order to honor these incredibly special family leaders, here are some tributes to [...]

Spark Mentoring Program – Motivating Kids Toward Success!

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In America today, it is estimated that 30% of high school students become dropouts. In order to change this statistic and help kids become more motivated, teachers Chris Balme and Melia Dicker created the Spark mentoring program. The Spark program tries to motivate each kid toward success by asking them to name their dream job. [...]

Amy Purdy – Surviving and Thriving, One Step at a Time!

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Amy Purdy is a snowboarder, skateboarder, wakeboarder, public speaker, fundraiser, actress, model, and make-up artist! The list things she has already accomplished in her life is amazing. But what’s even more amazing is that Amy has achieved all of these things despite having her lower legs amputated at age 19! When Amy first had her [...]

Wilma Rudolph – She Defied the Odds to Achieve Olympic Glory!

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As the first American female ever to win three Olympic gold medals, Wilma Rudolph is one of the world’s most celebrated athletes. However, her Olympic success was not easily won – it was the result of incredible strength and determination, as Wilma fought to overcome odds that were stacked high against her. Wilma was born in 1940 into a [...]

Glee’s Imagine: An Inspirational Song Sung in an Amazing Way

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The television show “Glee” is very popular, and the music it plays each week makes its viewers laugh, cry, and feel good all over. Never has this been more true than in the episode of the show in which the characters sang the song “Imagine” by John Lennon. The song “Imagine”, with its message of peace, is [...]

Katie’s Krops – Her Gardens Grow to Help Thousands!

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Katie Stagliano was in third grade when she took part in a special school project. For the project, she brought home a cabbage seedling, planted it, and nurtured it as it grew. Under her care, her cabbage grew incredibly big, weighing in at 40 pounds! Katie decided to donate her huge cabbage to a soup kitchen, and it ended up feeding [...]